Live Blog – Mystery Trip 2017!

Hi all! For those of you that don’t know, I’ve been in Minnesota for the past few weeks helping take care of my mom, who was in a terrible car accident earlier this month. (She’s doing okay now, and we couldn’t be more thankful for everyone’s love and support!) I’m back in North Carolina now, and even though I felt guilty leaving, I know she is in great hands until I return next month 🙂

The reason I came back is because this Saturday is Vikram’s and my second anniversary…I can’t believe it! (Second anniversary of our Indian wedding, for those of you that know we got married twice 🙂 )

To celebrate, Vikram planned a mystery trip for us for this weekend! Since today is the day I find out where we’re going, I thought I’d share the excitement with you all in a live blog!

I’ll be posting throughout the day, and will add timestamps so you can be up-to-speed on what’s happening when. You can also follow me on Instagram, where I will likely be posting some snaps of my day – links to all my social media can be found in the top right corner of the page.

What I Know

We’re going on a vacation! Vikram shared this with me a few months ago, but told me that the location would be a surprise. I like surprises, so I’ve been very good about not trying to figure out where we’re going. Vikram is not good at keeping surprises, so I think telling me that we’re going somewhere helped take some of the pressure off him.

I don’t need to worry about TSA requirements. This doesn’t mean we’re not flying somewhere – Vikram just told me that we’re going to pack a large suitcase, so I can pack full-size liquids. But we could still be flying! This leads me to…

What I Don’t Know

Where we’re going! Obviously. To make it even more confusing, Vikram told me that I won’t know where we’re going until we get there. What?!

How we’re getting there. This could literally be a planes, trains, or automobiles situation – I have no idea! I suppose we could even be taking a bus…or hitchhiking?

What we’re doing when we get there. To be fair, Vikram said he doesn’t know either – we’ll probably just play it by ear as usual, and that’s fine with me!

What to pack!! Vikram hasn’t given me a clue about the climate (fingers crossed for somewhere warm!) or if I need special things like fancy outfits or a swimsuit, etc. He said to go ahead and pack it all just in case, which makes me glad that we’re using full-sized luggage!

Live Blog

11:30 AM

I started packing, but am having a tough time since I don’t know what to expect. Vikram checked the weather at our location and told me that it would be pretty warm – in the 70s or 80s. He then proceeded to say it would actually be in the 60s…maybe as low as the 50s…uh oh, temps are dropping to the 20s…now -3…

So what I thought was a helpful tip turned out to be a regular troll. Thanks, honey.

Planning to have some lunch and regroup!

3:08 PM

I’m going to do a few errands and take a breather from the packing conundrum. Yesterday we ordered gifts for my brother’s wedding this summer, and I was the genius that had half of our order scheduled for pickup at a different store 🙁 Off I go! Hopefully I have enough time for everything once I’m back…

7:18 PM

A lot has happened in the last couple of hours – I packed(!), our full-size luggage got downgraded to carry-ons (!!), and our 8:30 departure got pushed up to 8:00(!!!). Needless to say, we’ve been running around the apartment like crazy people and trying to get everything done. There were a couple of times when I was banished to the bedroom so Vikram could secretly pack the suitcase in the living room – I wonder what he’s got in there!

Vikram said he was excited because it’ll be a while before I figure out where we’re going. At this point I have a couple of ideas, but I can’t be sure yet. Now onto nails – fingers crossed they dry in time (pun intended)!

7:48 PM

APPARENTLY “leaving at 8:00” was just to make sure I’d be ready in time – we’re still leaving at 8:30 and I realized I’m married to a cunning (but also smart and accurate) man. Typing this with wet nails and willing them to dry faster. Good thing I’m wearing flip flops so my toes won’t smudge on the way!

8:23 PM

Dishes are washed, garbage is out, and suitcases are packed and ready! We are headed out the door, and Vikram told me we are packing the suitcases in the car. Does this mean we’re driving somewhere? Does this mean we’re driving to some other form of transportation? I guess I’ll find out soon enough 🙂 HERE WE GO!!

9:21 PM

Vikram convinced me that we were having a staycation at a hotel in Raleigh, but that was a lie because we just arrived at the Amtrak station!! We are taking a midnight train to SOMEWHERE and now I understand why Vikram said that I won’t know where we’re going until we get there!

9:57 PM

Vikram wants me to wear headphones as we’re boarding so I don’t hear where we’re going! The train depot is also in an area I’m not familiar with (and I wasn’t really paying attention when we were driving) so I won’t even know if we’re headed north or south! Train departs at 10:13 – no spoilers please!!

10:41 PM

We are on the train, and I have no idea how long we will be traveling. The seats are comfortable and there is free WiFi, so I’m set! Settling in for a night on the train.

8:07 AM

Still on the train! I saw a water tower about an hour ago that said “Georgia”, so I figured out that we are heading south. The stop for Jacksonville, FL is coming up, but Vikram said we’re not getting off quite yet – but soon!! The sunrise looks so beautiful out the train window!

9:46 AM

We just got off the train at a place called “Pilaca”. I’ve never heard of that, but maybe it’s just the station name? The depot is so cute, it has all kinds of train models and historical pictures and info like a little museum! Eager to see what’s around here.

11:03 AM

We just picked up our rental car! It turns out it’s called “Palatka”, and it is the city name – but still not our final destination! We are on a 40 minute drive there now!

12:51 PM

The mystery is over – we will be spending a relaxing long weekend in historic St. Augustine, Florida! I can’t wait! I’m signing off for now so I can spend time with my wonderful husband – I’ll do a full post about our stay sometime next week. Thank you to everyone who followed along on this fun little adventure!

Have you ever been on a surprise vacation? I’d love to hear about it in the comments section below!

Hey there!

Hi there! I'm Allison, a born-and-raised Minnesotan who married a handsome Punjabi guy in 2015...twice! Join me as I learn to infuse bits of India into my wardrobe, decor, food, and life - and do a bit of traveling as well!